Luigi Bruins facts for kids
Bruins with Feyenoord in August 2008
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luigi Maud Bruins | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 9 March 1987 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Rotterdam, Netherlands | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1993–2004 | Excelsior | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Excelsior | 66 | (10) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2011 | Feyenoord | 90 | (11) | |||||||||||||
| 2011 | Red Bull Salzburg | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2012 | Excelsior | 9 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Nice | 22 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Nice II | 4 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2014–2021 | Excelsior | 173 | (22) | |||||||||||||
| 2021–2024 | VV Smitshoek | 16 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Netherlands U21 | 10 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | VV Zwaluwen | |||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 January 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 5 August 2007 |
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Luigi Bruins (born March 9, 1987) is a football manager and a former Dutch professional footballer. He played as an attacking midfielder. Luigi was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
When he was six, Feyenoord football club did not accept him into their youth program. Instead, he joined the Excelsior youth academy. He later made his first team debut in the 2004–05 season. The next season, he helped Excelsior win the Eerste Divisie title. After playing well in the Eredivisie, Luigi signed a four-year deal with Feyenoord, the club that first turned him down.
Luigi was also part of the Netherlands U21 squad. He helped them win the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship in 2007.
Luigi Bruins' Football Journey
Starting with Excelsior
Early Years (1993–2004)
Luigi Bruins started playing football when he was six years old in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He wanted to play at the highest level. So, he tried out for Feyenoord, a big club. But Feyenoord decided not to invite him to their youth academy.
Instead, Luigi was asked to join Excelsior. He went through all the youth teams at Excelsior. He stayed there until he made his professional debut in 2005.
Breaking Through (2004–2006)
Luigi played his first professional game for Excelsior in the 2004–05 season. On January 28, 2005, he came into the game as a substitute. This was his only match that season.
He really started to shine in the 2005–06 season. The new Excelsior coach, Mario Been, played Luigi in his favorite position: right midfielder. Luigi scored his first professional goal on August 12, 2005. This was in the first game of the season against Cambuur Leeuwarden.
Excelsior surprisingly fought for the Eerste Divisie championship that year. On March 31, 2006, Excelsior won a key match against VVV-Venlo. This win secured the Eerste Divisie title for Excelsior. Luigi played a big part in Excelsior getting promoted to the Eredivisie. He scored 4 goals in 35 matches.
Playing in the Eredivisie (2006–2007)
After Excelsior's promotion, many thought they would be relegated right away. They had the smallest budget in the Eredivisie. Also, few players had experience in the top league. Luigi made his Eredivisie debut on August 19, 2006. This was in a home game against Roda JC.
He scored his first Eredivisie goals on September 9, 2006. He scored two penalty kicks in a home match against SC Heerenveen. Excelsior finished 16th in the Eredivisie. This meant they had to play in special playoffs to stay in the league. They won their playoff matches and remained in the top division.
While at Excelsior, many big clubs were interested in Luigi. These included Dutch clubs like Ajax and PSV. Even Tottenham Hotspur from England showed interest. On January 26, 2006, Feyenoord announced they had signed Luigi. He would join them for the 2007–08 season with a four-year contract.
Time with Feyenoord (2007–2011)
Luigi's move to Feyenoord happened at the same time as many famous players joined. These included Roy Makaay and Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Because of all the strong players, people thought Luigi would mostly be a substitute.
However, after Royston Drenthe left for Real Madrid, Feyenoord coach Bert van Marwijk made Luigi a regular player. He played as a left winger. In his first season with Feyenoord, Luigi played 27 Eredivisie matches and scored six goals.
Later, after some small injuries, Luigi started to play less often in the 2008–09 season. By January 2010, his agent thought it would be better for Luigi to leave Feyenoord temporarily on loan.
New Teams: Salzburg, Excelsior, and Nice (2011–2014)
In October 2011, Luigi signed a contract with Red Bull Salzburg in Austria. But his contract was ended after only three games. He left Salzburg at the end of 2011.
Luigi then tried out for Rangers F.C. and was linked to VVV-Venlo. On March 9, 2012, he signed with his old team, Excelsior, until the end of that season.
On January 15, 2013, Luigi signed with OGC Nice in France. He played 22 matches for the French team over a year and a half, scoring one goal. His contract was not extended, and he left the club in June 2014.
Back to Excelsior and Smitshoek (2014–2024)
On September 13, 2014, it was announced that Luigi Bruins had returned to Excelsior for the third time! He signed a deal until the end of the season.
In July 2021, Luigi joined VV Smitshoek, a club in the fifth tier of Dutch football. He signed a three-year contract there. After these three years, he decided to retire from playing football.
Playing for His Country
Luigi was part of the Netherlands U21 squad. They won the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. The Dutch team kept their title from 2006 by winning 4–1 against Serbia U21 in the final. Luigi scored the fourth goal for the Netherlands, which sealed their victory.
In the summer of 2008, Luigi was considered for the Netherlands Olympic team. He was on the first list of players, but he was not chosen for the final 18-player squad.
Becoming a Manager
After retiring as a player, Luigi Bruins started his managing career. He began managing VV Zwaluwen in 2024.
Honours
Excelsior
- Eerste Divisie: 2005–06 (Champions)
Feyenoord
- KNVB Cup: 2007–08 (Winners)
Netherlands U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship: 2007 (Winners)
See also
In Spanish: Luigi Bruins para niños
